The Night Agent Star Lands His Next Thriller at Apple TV

Apple TV has built a formidable reputation for genre-bending thrillers by seamlessly blending suspense (Cape Fear), science fiction (Severance), and horror-comedy (Widow’s Bay). Already anchored by acclaimed book adaptations like Slow Horses, Lisey’s Story, and Lucky, the streamer is poised to diversify further with a haunting true-crime thriller. Featuring a stacked cast, the series has now brought a Netflix breakout star into the fold.

Guilty Creatures is shaping up to be another Apple prestige offering, with Stuart Zicherman (Sweetbitter) serving as showrunner and director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) at the helm. The project is in full swing after Apple TV gave the green light in July, with Julia Garner (Ozark, Weapons) the first confirmed to star, also serving as executive producer. Deadline has now confirmed Gabriel Basso is joining the ensemble on the heels of filming The Night Agent‘s fourth and final season.

The Night Agent was a major career milestone for Basso, who proved his mettle as a child and teen actor in Super 8 and The Big C. He showcased his creative range with notable roles in Hillbilly Elegy and Juror #2, and this year he broke new ground as lead star, writer, producer, and director of the psychological thriller Iconoclast, which premiered at Tribeca last June. Netflix’s The Night Agent pushed Basso into the mainstream with a conspiracy thriller that elevated the actor from leading man to action star. The Night Agent has ranked among the streamer’s most-watched shows over its three seasons, and it’s set to end on its own terms next year with Season 4.

Basso joins Garner in Guilty Creatures, alongside previously announced series regulars Lewis Pullman (Remarkably Bright Creatures) and Maddie Hasson (Bone Lake); Mary-Louise Parker (The Institute) is also confirmed in a recurring role. Character details are still under wraps. Per the show’s logline, it “delves into the psyche of a torrid romance and subsequent act of murder between two young, adulterous but God-fearing lovers, unraveling their complex lives and the emotional toll of living as killers for 18 years.”

Adapted from Mikita Brottman’s true crime novel Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida, Guilty Creatures is also based on the real-life murder of Jerry Michael Williams, who disappeared in 2000 in what was initially believed to be a drowning accident during a solo duck-hunting trip on Lake Seminole. It took almost two decades for the truth to come out, and the reveal exposed cold-blooded murder, marital infidelity, and insurance fraud.

Basso’s prospects are looking bright, having established a reputation as a budding auteur and a bankable action lead, he’s now transitioning into prestige TV drama. He’s having a great year so far, with two feature-length films added to his credit, reprising his role in The Strangers — Chapter 3, and co-starring with Margaret Qualley and Aaron Pierre in Love of Your Life.

Network

Apple TV

Writers

Sarah DeLappe